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Friday, January 14, 2011

Roast Chicken with Rosemary

Can you believe we are closing out our second week of 2011? Last week I shared my four rules for healthy living. Sometimes Rule #2, Plan What You Eat, can be a challenge. What with busy lives and all, we don't always have time to plan ahead. Wouldn't it be great to always have something ready to go in your refrigerator? A roasted chicken will fit the bill. It's like having an insurance policy for healthy food. Having a roasted chicken in the refrigerator means I always have the beginning of a healthy and satisfying lunch or dinner.

"Roasting a chicken takes a long time," you say. "How can I find the time?" It really doesn't take much time. Trust me, Friends. Preparing the chicken for roasting takes ten minutes, tops. Then there's another 60-90 minutes of roasting time when you can sit with your feet up, or put in a load of laundry, or help the kids with their homework.

I'll show you how quick and easy it really is.

Roast Chicken with Rosemary

Just a Few Essential Ingredients

Ingredients

1 whole roasting chicken, approx. 5 lbs

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 T olive oil

fresh rosemary, approx. 4 sprigs

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse the chicken with cool water and pat it dry. Place the chicken in your roasting pan. Mix together the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Remove the rosemary leaves from two of the sprigs and chop fine. Add rosemary to the seasoning mixture. Rub the olive oil over the chicken. Season the inside of the chicken with approximately 1/2 tsp of the seasoning mixture and stuff with the remaining two sprigs of rosemary.

Now comes the key step. Run your fingers under the skin on the breast and legs to loosen. Spread approximately 1/2 tsp of the seasoning mixture under the loosened skin. Placing seasoning under the skin really makes a difference on the deliciousness scale. Rub the rest of the seasoning over the outside of the chicken. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen twine.

Ready for the Oven

Place the chicken in the preheated oven and roast until the internal temperature is 185 degrees F. Baste the chicken peri﻿﻿odically while it roasts. Cover the chicken with foil and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before serving. Your roasted chicken will look something like this:

The Finished Product

One essential tool you'll need for perfect roast chicken is an instant read thermometer. Have you tried cooking a chicken with those little pop up timers? I have and found the results to be frustrating and unsatisfactory. Don't rely on them. Save yourself from the aggravation! If you invest in an instant read thermometer you can have confidence that your chicken (or any other meat) will be cooked to the perfect temperature.

Now, don't you think roasting a chicken is easy? How terrific will your kitchen smell if you make this chicken on Sunday afternoon. Think how happy you will be to have a chicken in your refrigerator ready to go during the week.